UCLA Highlights

UCLA overview

Location: Los Angeles, California (Westwood area)
Undergrad Enrollment: 31,500
Acceptance Rate: Please get the rest of this data from the school website or Common Data Set
Middle 50% SAT®: 1360-1550
Middle 50% ACT: 29-32

The University of California system includes UCLA and eight other public undergraduate institutions dispersed around the state, from the Bay Area to San Diego. Admission to the UCs—as they are referred to collectively — is distinctive from admission to the Common or Coalition, as the UCs have their own application.

Four essays make up the UC application, in which applicants have the opportunity to showcase their perspectives and establish themselves as prime candidates for admission. The application does not include a “Why School” prompt, and choosing particular schools in the app only requires checking boxes. Therefore, applicants must submit compelling supplements that, via well-written stories, express their values and interests.

The A-G criteria are specific academic prerequisites for the UCs. Most US public high school students should be able to complete these prerequisites through their high school curriculum. However, students who attend private schools or homeschool may need to add to their workload to fulfill these prerequisites.

Unique UCLA Features

Academics

UCLA provides over 90 minors in addition to 125 undergraduate majors dispersed across 109 academic departments. The most common undergraduate majors choices are business economics, political science, psychology, and psychobiology. The institution places great importance on student research, granting almost $1 billion in grants and contracts for competitive research projects per year. The university’s close proximity to Ronald Reagan Medical Center highlights its thriving research community.

The School of Theater, Film, and Television (TFT) at UCLA is renowned, with US News and Hollywood Reporter frequently ranking its performing arts programs highly. Mayim Bialik, George Takei, and James Franco are  among its famous alumni.

Sports

UCLA has a lively athletic department, with 118 NCAA team championship titles, second only to Stanford. There are 25 NCAA Division I sports offered at the university. The men’s and women’s basketball teams are accomplished, winning 11 and 4 championships, taking home 11 and 4 titles, respectively. You will find students lining up outside Pauley Pavilion for hours before basketball games or preparing for the yearly rivalry game with USC given that the football team is as successful.

The school also offers a wide range of club sports for students. The competitive intramural sports program, which features 30 leagues, tournaments, meetings, and other unique activities, attracts more than 8,000 students. There are numerous intramural sports, including rugby, table tennis, and even Quidditch, to name a few.

Clubs

UCLA has a vibrant extracurricular scene with over 1,000 clubs, presented to students during an annual Enormous Activities Fair that sprawls across Royce Quad. One of its most well-known clubs is the Student Alumni Association, which has hosted Dinner for 12 Strangers for more than 50 years. This community tradition brings together over 3,700 students, alumni, and faculty to organize over 500 international meals.

Aside from that, UCLA organizes the biggest student-run hackathon in Southern California, attracting over a thousand hackers each year to develop technological solutions focused on a changing topic. Students from all majors can participate in the multi-day hackathon, which results in the creation of over 150 multifaceted creative projects.

Additionally, UCLA is renowned for its thriving startup scene, which is supported by a wide variety of organizations and accelerator programs that assist students in coming up with ideas and carrying them out for their own businesses. Since 2000, firms created employing technology developed at UCLA have been valued at more than $30 billion. Notable startups that have blossomed out of UCLA’s startup community include AWAK Technologies and Sike Insights, which provide medical devices and AI-powered productivity tools, respectively.   

Traditions

The UCLA student body is very traditional. Students can log activities in any of the 100+ campus traditions, which span categories like academics, arts/culture/food, and campus leadership, using the school’s “True Bruin Traditions Keeper” app. Students who complete a certain number of traditions will receive a medal at Commencement.

Every year on Volunteer Day, all students have the opportunity to perform volunteer work in the Los Angeles region. Numerous service sites recieve visits from more than 5,000 UCLA affiliates, including students, teachers, and staff, not only in the Los Angeles region but also across the country and globally. In addition to receiving a free t-shirt, volunteers get to know their community better.

However, the most practiced tradition happens early in your UCLA experience at the Inverted Fountain. Freshmen are “Bruintized” by dipping their hands in the fountain at orientation. They cannot touch the water again until they have graduated otherwise they will not graduate on time. Seniors can be seen finishing their graduation picture shoots by wading into the fountain with their sashes on and champagne in hand during the end of the spring quarter..

Dining

Every year, Niche has dubbed the dining hall food at UCLA the best. The school includes 8 dining halls and takeaway spots with a medley of delectable cuisine that salutes many countries and suit various diets.

Rendezvous, which is divided into an East and a West wing, is one of the most prominent dining establishments. Pan-Asian dishes including Pad Thai, boba, and green tea ice-cream are served on the East side, while a build-your-own burrito bar modeled after Chipotle is on the West side.

It would be remiss to discuss UCLA dining without mentioning its newest dining hall, Bruin Plate or BPlate.The BPlate dining hall offers a wide variety of wholesome foods for an all-you-can-eat price. The restaurant emphasizes eco-conscious eating by using a range of locally produced produce and herbs grown on its roof. With unusual ingredients like tempeh, yuca, and amaranth, kids can discover that they try and like new foods every week.

Financial Aid 

For in-state students, UCLA offers the Cal Grant, which pays for tuition, fees, and/or living expenses for those who qualify financially and have a 2.0-3.0 minimum GPA. For consideration, students must complete the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application; they are not required to pay this money back.

Location

The UCLA campus’s prime location in Los Angeles, California, plays a significant role in its appeal. UCLA is in Westwood, a posh area close to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive. Because of its location, it frequently experiences bright and clear weather, allowing students to use the nearby hiking trails and beaches for a good portion of the year.

What Are Your Prospects for Admission to UCLA?

No two students’ chances of admission are entirely the same and do not let UCLA’s status as a public university deceive you – the bar for that coveted acceptance letter is incredibly high. Your individual odds of acceptance may differ from the average % you have read on the school website because admissions rates are competitive and comparable to those of the Ivies.

If your statistics fall short of the requirements, your application can be rejected relatively immediately. Alternatively, you might have greater odds of getting in if your profile is well-rounded and includes impressive extracurricular activities, excellent grades, and test results.

Attempting to understand and organize the moving pieces of your application can be overwhelming. TA’s College Counselling program can help take out some of the guesswork. We will give you our best assessment of your personal chances of admittance to UCLA and other colleges on your list based on a range of variables, including your grades, standardized test scores, extracurricular profile, and background. Additionally, we can offer you advice on how to enhance your profile to increase your chances.